Questions · High school students
Questions for high school students that don’t sound like a teacher
For teachers, advisors, coaches and youth leaders: openers for advisory or homeroom, questions about what students are good at, honest ones about pressure, and a few about what’s next.
- 16 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
Where do you need a little more courage this week?
Saan mo kailangan ng konting dagdag courage this week?
Courage does not always look big. Sometimes it is one honest message, one boundary, or one careful next step.
Hindi laging malaki ang courage. Minsan isang honest message, isang boundary, o isang maingat na next step lang.
The questions
16 questions for high school students
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
Advisory openers
5 questions
Quick, low-risk and a little funny.
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Name the song that should play when you enter a room.
Sabihin yung song na dapat tumugtog pagpasok mo sa room.
Back of the card
An entrance song is mostly about energy. It says what kind of moment you want everyone to feel.
Yung entrance song, energy talaga ang usapan. Sinasabi niya kung anong moment ang gusto mong dala.
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Rate your normal-day clumsiness from 1 to 5, then share one example.
I-rate from 1 to 5 kung gaano ka ka-clumsy on a normal day, tapos mag-share ng isang example.
Back of the card
Clumsiness has a range, and honesty makes the rating better. One good example can turn any score into evidence.
May range ang clumsiness, at mas funny kapag honest. Isang good example lang, kahit anong score may ebidensya.
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Group photo starts. What is your automatic move?
May group photo na. Ano ang automatic move mo?
Back of the card
Group photos bring out instant instincts. Some people arrange everyone, some disappear behind others, and some are ready before the camera is.
May automatic instinct kapag group photo na. May taga-ayos, may nagtatago sa likod, may ready bago pa yung camera.
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What event would you choose if the ticket were free?
Kung may libre kang ticket sa isang event, ano ang pipiliin mo?
Back of the card
Imagine the event is about to begin. What are you most excited to see?
Magsisimula na ang event. Ano ang pinaka-gusto mong makita?
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Pick a mascot for your current mood: sleepy, dramatic, cheerful, chaotic, or something else.
Pumili ng mascot para sa current mood mo: sleepy, dramatic, cheerful, chaotic, o iba pa.
Back of the card
Current mood is sometimes easier to explain through a mascot. It can be tired, dramatic, cheerful, or strangely accurate.
Minsan mas madaling i-explain ang current mood gamit mascot. Puwedeng pagod, dramatic, cheerful, o weirdly accurate.
What they’re good at
4 questions
Teens are often known only by grades and sports. Ask about the rest.
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Which kind of task makes you lose track of time?
Anong klaseng task yung nakakalimutan mong oras kapag ginagawa mo?
Back of the card
The tasks that make time move fast can reveal what absorbs you, energizes you, or quietly fits how your mind works.
Yung tasks na nagpapabilis ng oras pwedeng clue kung ano ang kumukuha ng focus mo, nagpapagana sa'yo, o bagay sa utak mo.
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What are you good at that your friends rarely get to see?
Saan ka magaling na bihirang makita ng friends mo?
Back of the card
Imagine a friend seeing you do it for the first time.
Isipin na unang nakita ng friend kung paano mo ito ginagawa.
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Name a new interest a friend might be surprised you enjoy.
Magbanggit ng bagong hilig mo na baka ikagulat ng friend.
Back of the card
You could open with: “I never thought I'd enjoy this, but...”
Puwedeng magsimula sa “Hindi ko akalaing magugustuhan ko ito, pero...”
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Give yourself a funny award for something you are surprisingly good at.
Bigyan mo sarili mo ng funny award para sa bagay na surprisingly magaling ka.
Back of the card
A funny award makes small talents official. Some skills may not belong on a resume, but they still deserve a ceremony.
Ginagawang official ng funny award ang small talents. Hindi man pang-resume, deserve pa rin ng ceremony.
Pressure, honestly
4 questions
Small groups or one-on-one only.
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Where do you need a little more courage this week?
Saan mo kailangan ng konting dagdag courage this week?
Back of the card
Courage does not always look big. Sometimes it is one honest message, one boundary, or one careful next step.
Hindi laging malaki ang courage. Minsan isang honest message, isang boundary, o isang maingat na next step lang.
-
Which fear gets smaller when you talk about it?
Anong takot ang gumagaan kapag naikukwento mo?
Back of the card
Some fears grow in silence and shrink in safe air. Talking can help you see their true size.
May takot na lumalaki kapag tahimik lang. Kapag naikuwento sa safe na lugar, mas nakikita mo ang totoong laki niya.
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What would you try if failure felt less embarrassing?
Ano ang susubukan mo kung hindi gaanong nakakahiya ang pumalya?
Back of the card
Embarrassment can make the room feel smaller than it is. The thing you would try may still be worth naming.
Kayang paliitin ng hiya ang mundo mo. Pero yung bagay na susubukan mo, baka worth pa ring pangalanan.
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What might you need to say no to, pause, or limit so your week feels lighter?
Ano yung kailangan mong hihindian, i-pause, o limitahan para mas gumaan ang week mo?
Back of the card
A boundary is not always a wall. Sometimes it is a small line that helps you stay present and honest.
Hindi laging pader ang boundary. Minsan maliit na line lang siya para mas present at honest ka.
Looking ahead
3 questions
Hope, not a college-application interview.
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Name one small hope that helps you keep going.
Magbanggit ng isang maliit na hope na tumutulong sa'yo magpatuloy.
Back of the card
A small hope can still carry real strength. It may be quiet, but it is not nothing.
May totoong lakas din ang maliit na hope. Tahimik man siya, hindi ibig sabihin wala siyang bigat.
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What are you looking forward to over the next few weeks?
Ano ang inaabangan mo sa susunod na mga linggo?
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "The part I cannot wait for is..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Ang pinaka-inaabangan ko ay..."
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Say one brave thing you can admit you want.
Sabihin ang isang brave na bagay na kaya mong aminin na gusto mo.
Back of the card
Wanting can feel risky when the answer is not guaranteed. Naming the desire is already a brave kind of honesty.
Risky minsan umamin ng gusto mo kapag walang guarantee. Pero courage na rin yung kaya mo siyang sabihin nang honest.
How to use them
Before you ask
High school students answer questions that respect them. They can tell in one sentence whether an adult is curious or checking a box, and they shut down on anything that sounds like a lecture in disguise. The questions that work are specific, a little funny, and have no right answer.
Advisory and homeroom openers should be quick and low-risk: a walk-in song, a clumsiness rating with one example, a mascot for today’s mood. Then ask what they’re good at that people rarely see. Teenagers are often known only by grades and sports, and this question lets them show the rest.
Pressure questions are for small groups or one-on-ones. Asking where they need courage this week, or what they’d try if failing felt less embarrassing, opens up stress that rarely comes out in class. Listen more than you advise. The questions for teenagers page is written for parents at home; these are for the adults around them at school.
Good for
Tips
- Answer first, and make your answer a little embarrassing.
- Keep pressure questions out of whole-class settings.
- Never pass a student’s answer on to other adults without asking.
- Let students pass without explaining why.
Decks for this
High school students
Frequently asked questions
What questions should you ask high school students?
Quick, low-risk openers like a walk-in song or a mood mascot, questions about what they’re good at that people rarely see, and, in small groups, honest ones about where they need courage and what they’re looking forward to.
How do you get high school students to talk?
Ask specific questions without a right answer, share your own answer first, and keep serious questions for small groups or one-on-ones. Teens open up when they don’t feel judged.
What are good advisory icebreakers?
A walk-in song, a clumsiness rating with an example, a mascot for today’s mood, or an event they’d go to if the ticket were free. Quick to answer and easy to laugh at.
Bring a better question to the table.
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